Fighting to be Kind in a Cultivation World

Chapter 151: The Steps to Reflection

Chapter 151: The Steps to Reflection

As I stare out at the stairs leading up the mountain before me, I realize there are few things in my last life that even slightly compared to the site in front of me.

The closest comparison to my experiences on Earth I can make is when I went on (what was at the time) the highest roller coaster ride in the world. While on the ride, with it just beginning, the cart we were in would take us up a very large first hill. The largest one out of the whole ride, in fact. While going up it, all that we could see in the backdrop was just the sky. A clear blue and covered in sporadic clouds.

Before my eyes, the track seemingly leads straight into the heavens, with the road becoming smaller and smaller as it rose into the sky. All until it disappeared from view.

Of course, its just that the track sharply and frighteningly dipped downward from that point.

But it's not only this, that these carved stone stairs remind me of.

The only other thing that comes to mind, is of a cliff. Not sight from being on top of it, but instead the bottom of its base.

The feeling of a huge, imposing sheet of rock lording over your entire view and filling every part of your gaze as you attempt to look up, but only can see more rock.Thê source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n))

All until the only thing that separates the rock from the sky, and barely at that, is the clouds that surround the peak. Here, there is no peak to see. Its just more of the mountain being obscured by the sheer amount of distance, clouds, and other things separating this extremely tall mountain peak from us.

This truly makes the name, the Steps of Reflection, a very apt description of what this does to a person at first glance.

Even the young masters, filled with pride and arrogance, cant help but to take a moment and just stare at the stairs in front them. Some of them seem to dread the work that will be needed to move up then, while it fills others with anticipation for the climb.

Even more so than them, the normal people who have joined the group gaze at the steps with fear. While each and every one of these young masters is at least a low-level body cultivator, easily allowing them to go up the stairs, the journey of 160 km is insanely difficult for normal people (within 4 days).

After the initial moment of gaping towards this monumental task, people begin to realize what they're up against and the importance of what they might have to do.

It is at this moment the cultivator that brought us here, decides to reveal a fact that some, like myself, already knew could be done.

These Stairs are called the Steps of Reflection.

Going up the steps, it's considered the first trial on your journey to becoming a cultivator within our sect. Ours is one that accepts many things as strengths. However, physical strength is one of the things that we value highly.

Well at least a base level of physical strength.

He coughs and looks to the side before continuing.

With that said, not everyone is blessed in this department. There are other strengths that can compensate for such things. So, we allow anyone who has the ability, fate, or status to use anything or anyone in their vicinity to get up the Steps and reach the Gate of Introspection, that sits on top of them. Specifically, only your fellow applicants and/or tamed creatures can be leveraged to help you get up the mountain in terms of personnel. Any personal items that you or they are carrying on them, are allowed, as well.

The only thing we require, is that you don't use any of the other alternative methods to get up the mountain to the gate, such as the merchant pathways. You have five days to do this. My suggestion is to complete it in four, at the latest. If not, you will be moving straight into your second trial from there.

It didnt seem like it, because of the way the carriages bringing us all here worked, but there were 2000 people who came here in this single batch.

Of those who are left behind by the young masters, there are about a thousand left that will need or want to travel by foot.

An example of one person who wanted to travel by foot is Huang Kaida, from the body cultivating family. He has a group of close to 100 people who are clearly athletic and are following him. They take off up the mountain together. Its easy to see that they will all make it up the mountain, with no issue.

No animal will attempt to fight any of them.

Others are following young masters who werent the favored by their families and didnt have a Qi treasure to immediately go up the mountain. It is beneficial for them to follow them. It isnt likely the young masters will stop or help them if they fall behind, but allow them to cultivate a relationship with them during the journey. And anyway, some chance of them helping is better than no chance.

These groups headed out together, as well.

Finally, many people ended up leaving on their own. Some did it out a lack of a group to attach to, but a desperation to continue, and others because they were natural loners.

I had activated my personnel potential scan earlier and saw that there were hundreds of people who had a possibility of being extremely beneficial to me and also would have a high potential as well. The vast majority left with these other groups.

All that is left after these groups left were around several hundred people.

I can see the two poor ladies that asked for help earlier, Chen (the brunette) and Ju (the raven haired), who rush to my side. They seem disappointed at my lack of a carriage. They definitely tried to get into a few of the carriages and were denied because of their lack of wealth or status. They look at me and see that I had notice and begin apologizing, but I assuage their fears.

I already knew they were opportunists. But theyll be more useful and dedicated over time, as they get to know me.

At least thats what the scan tells me.

With them and Mei Lin out of the count Out of all these people, there are only 16 that shine to me that would be beneficial for me and would have high potential.

There are a few people who have above spirit roots that arent included in this, but they, for one reason or another, wouldnt be a good fit.

There are a few people within the shining group who actually have below average spirit roots, but are showing to be a great pick to help.

Some are already making the trek, while others are wallowing in sadness.

So how do I want to do this?

With this new situation in front of me, I ponder my approach.